


The Art of Deception (Oh, Pollution)

by RestInPiecesPartnership



Series: Magick n' Stuff [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, But Richard is respected, Case Fic, Gay Panic, Gen, M/M, Merdad! Hank, RK900 is Niles, Rk1000 is a beautiful man named Adrian, Selkie Connor, Selkie RK900, Witch Markus, no beta we die like men, our gay disasters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2019-10-30 23:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17838182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RestInPiecesPartnership/pseuds/RestInPiecesPartnership
Summary: Magic is real, but not many people realize that. It's always been that way, and that's for the best. Connor and Niles start working at the San Fransisco police department, and everything is great. That is, until a new case dredges up past memories they've buried, and everything they've built begins to crumble.





	1. Les Rois de la Mer

**Author's Note:**

> So, I love RK1000 so much?? The ship, in this instance, although I adore everyone's RK1000 oc. I have high hopes for this fic, idkkkk man I just have this feel. I hope y'all enjoy :)!!

Hank knew it was going to be a bad morning. He woke up with a pounding headache and Sumo pestering the ever living fuck out of him. The dog would not leave him alone, and he was forced to get up. He had every plan to feed him, let him out, and get back to sleep, but as he sipped a glass of water, something in him spurred him to go to work, somewhat on time. An hour late was better than three.

Somehow, after about three headache charms and a hydration spell, he managed to drag his sorry ass to work and regretted it immediately. As soon as his ass hit his seat, he heard an agitated shout from Fowler’s office. For him… and Reed? He made eye contact with the other detective, who seemed equally confused and perturbed. Good. The bastard deserves to suffer too.

Upon entering the captain’s office, he saw to boys, barely adults, who stood tall, their aura’s glowing so bright Hank would never be able to ignore them… they reminded him of- no. No.

“Gentlemen. Today our precinct has received two extremely gifted detectives, and I have personally chose the two of you to be their partners.” Before Hank could get out even a single expletive, the captain continued in a voice that left no room for discussion, “Anderson, meet Connor Stern. You will be working together for however long I see fit. Reed, you’ll be working with Niles Stern.”

The two looked like picture perfect replicas of each other, except for the difference in eye color. Connor had large, brown eyes, whereas his brother had deep blue eyes. Almost like C- no. He needed to stop doing this. He massaged his eyes.

“Jeffery, you’ve gotta be fuckin’ with me right now! Why do I have to be stuck with a kid?” Hank yelled at the same time as Gavin shouted, “Fuck this! You know I don’t work well with others!” The brothers exchanged a look, and their energies were diminishing, obviously unenthused about the two detectives whining about having to work with them. Damn it all. He shoulda just stayed home today.

 

 

Gavin Reed despised other people… Or more so interacting with other people. But as far as other people needed to know, he simply hated them. He was a lone wolf. Let other people believe he is a heartless asshole. It was far better that way. His only friend was Tina Chen, if they could even be called that. They talked at the station, and sometimes outside. They got trashed together. They never really talked about anything personal, but was that really required? He wasn’t quite sure. Gavin didn’t really do well talking to other people. He had the internet for entertainment, his pets for comfort, and Tina if he really needed to go out and get smashed. He was fine.

When he woke up that morning, it was to the blaring of his alarm, about two hours after he finally fell into some form of rest the night prior. He reluctantly slid out of bed, immediately tending to his pets. He made sure his snake’s tank was clean, checking to see if the ball python, Aluminium, was in perfect condition. When he was content that Ali was in perfect health, he moved over to his tarantula, Shelly. She was sitting on a log, almost waiting for their morning routine. He’d had her for almost ten years, and every morning, without fail, he’d take her out of her enclosure and let her sit on his head for his entire morning. When he reached his hand into the tank, she climbed onto it. He sat her on his shoulder and moved out of his room to his living room. There, his little sphynx kitten, Vodka, sat curled against his maine coon, Rum. When they saw him, they got up and walked figure eights around his ankles until he set down their bowls of wet food. He spoiled them, what could he say? Only once his precious animals were checked on and cared for did he head into his small kitchen for some coffee, Shelly now perched in his bed head.

Sufficiently revived, he finished up his morning, and, sadly, parted with Shelly as he let her down into her tank. Then he left for work, there a half hour early, but no one really noticed. He prefered it that way. He worked on reports and reviewed files, mundane but important tasks. Sometimes he’d pull out his phone and get sucked into dumb games without meaning or purpose. He hated when he did that. It made him feel even more of a waste. Gavin barely noticed when Hank walked in an hour late, early for the man. He definitely noticed Fowler shouting for them from his office. Upon his entrance, he noticed the two people standing in there. They were clearly siblings, probably twins. The one was slightly shorter with dopey brown eyes. He seemed to give off welcoming, friendly vibes. The other stood slightly taller, just minutely, with eyes like ice. He looked at Gavin as if he was the gum on the bottom of his shoe. He immediately hated them both.

 

 

Fowler had dismissed them from his office after a short argument, cut off by Captain Fowler practically screaming at them, threatening their badges if they didn’t cooperate. Connor sighed as he followed his new ‘partner’ to his desk. He had to be genial, to try and work with what he’d been given. Something about the lieutenant told Connor that he was a good person, and the energy he gave off supported that. His dismissal and adamant refusal to work with him hurt however, just slightly, and he longed for his fur, for comfort. There wasn’t really any believable way to bring his fur to work though, and unless he wanted the whole precinct figuring out that selkies were real, and that there were now two in the building, he would have to leave it at home.

He was reluctantly directed to the empty desk adjacent to the lieutenant’s. Connor sat down and inspected his surroundings. The desk was almost bare, with a computer terminal and an empty billboard. He looked across the room to Niles, who looked to be ignoring his new partner. He looked so tense and uncomfortable, trying to cover it with condescending and cold looks. To anyone else, the effect would be achieved, but it didn’t work on Connor. He knew his brother inside out. Niles was the best person he’d ever known. That he’d ever know. He was kind, loyal, funny. He knew how to stand up for himself, and he could. He had the tendency to lay himself on the line for people he cared about, even if it meant he’d suffer. Connor hated it, even though he knew he did it himself. They were working on it, slowly but surely.

Connor dedicated a moment to breathing, _in, out,_ before looking over at his partner. He wore a crystal necklace, a minimal black cord with what appeared to be a piece of raw moonstone. His hair was messy, and he looked worn out and jittery, like he was operating solely off of caffeine. There was a mug sitting next to him, most likely containing coffee, so the idea wasn’t too far fetched. The lieutenant had animal hair spread over his shirt and jacket. Connor figured that was as good a place as any to start.

Pasting a friendly smile on his face, he spoke to the man, “Do you have a pet?” and instantly regretted it. It was awkward and out of the blue, and just served to remind him of how poor he was at holding a genuine conversation with someone.

“Yeah, what makes you ask?” Lieutenant Anderson responded in a gruff voice, his words dripping skepticism.

“There are animal hairs on your shirt. I really like animals,” he responded, and it was true. He would have a dog if he and Niles felt they had the time or money to care for one. It didn’t help that Niles wanted a cat instead.

“Yeah… I’ve got a saint bernard.”

He was hesitant to pry, but the lieutenant seemed to enjoy the topic enough, and Connor doubted he could make their partnership worse. “What’s their name?”

“His name,” he hesitated, a sort of fondness seeping into his voice, “his name is Sumo.”

“I like that. I’ve always wanted a dog,” Connor continued, even though he knew he should stop pushing his luck and get to work.

“Sumo’s a good dog. He’s really great,” There was something softer about the Lieutenant as he spoke of his dog, and Connor could tell he cared about the Saint Bernard. Pets did that to people, and he knew, for sure that his partner was a good man. He’d come around.

With a smile, he moved on, “So, Lieutenant. What have you been working on?”

 

 

Niles followed the detective to his desk, and took the desk opposite of him. He was anxious, but he hid it well with indifference. He wanted to help make a difference here, to help as many people as possible. The fact that his progress would be hindered by Detective Reed was… distressing, to say the least. The man opposite of him had a tattered, rag-tag energy, and he looked as if his anger and discontent would ravish all of San Francisco if let free of it’s small, scarred vessel.

The selkie took a moment to observe his new partner. He had dark circle, which surrounded deep set, grey blue eyes. Disheveled hair and unkempt stubble seemed to point to a deep lack of sleep. The scar on his nose added to his beauty. The thought had Niles shutting his eyes for a second a taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes it was to see his brother smiling towards his partner, seemingly having a friendly conversation. Something about the detective Niles had been assigned did not seem conducive to geniality, and so he opted for a different technique.

The detective had a coffee cup next to him, and had a few other littered around his desk. Caffeine addiction. Niles stood and strode over to the break area, where he filled another coffee. Inside, he was nervous. He didn’t want this volatile, alluring man to react poorly. He hid his emotions under a mask; he hoped it didn’t come off as too indifferent, as Connor had pointed out it had a tendency to do.

“A coffee for you, Detective, as it seems you like it so much,” He explained as he set the beverage down next to the man, sending an explaining glance around to all the cups littered about on his desk. He must have failed in his expression, and Reed scoffed.

“The fuck does that mean, asshole?” He stood up abruptly, still a few inches under Niles.

The sheer aggression and antagonism astounded Niles, and he snorted. “Detective, I was just-”

“I don’t fucking care what you think. I don’t want to work with a dumbass like you,” He stabbed a finger into Niles’ chest, “And like hell I’m going to tolerate any bullshit you throw at me.”

Niles couldn’t understand this man, and while part of him was almost programed to nod, obey, sit down stand down _you do as I say or you do nothing at all boy,_ the majority of him was offended. He’d learned that standing down gave him nothing, got him nowhere. He slapped the hand away from his chest, and channeled as much ice into his gaze and words as he possibly could, and said, “I was trying to offer peace, but I should have known an imbecile like yourself would be too incompetent to see that.” A pause. “And if you ever touch me again, detective, you will be down an arm, understand?” His words were soft and smooth, but the bite was sharp and there was no room for argument.

Then Niles stood up as straight as he could, straightened his jacket, and sat at his desk without another word. Crisis… not averted, and maybe not the best first impression to make. He hid a grimace as his anxiety welled up; the entire precinct was staring. He sighed and got to work.

 

 

A breathe in, a breathe out. He tried again to no avail. Frustration welled in his throat, and he felt hopeless.

“You’ve gotta calm down, son. All things come in time and you cannot rush it.” An old clairvoyant sat with his son in a large home.

“Carl… I’ve been working on this for weeks now, and I still can’t get it.” Markus had been trying to shape water. He could get the water to move in its contained, to slosh about, even a couple of times to rise over the edge of the container, but nothing more. It seemed that, after learning the basics, Markus had just plateaued. And while Carl was a talented individual in many areas, he was not a water witch, and would never be. He could only help so much.

The witch, if he even qualified, stood up with a sigh to go do something else. “Markus, wait,” Carl called out, “I have a friend. He’s a very, very talented water witch. I’m sure if I asked him, he’d apprentice you.” Carl was not, in fact, sure of this at all. He hadn’t talked to Hank in at least a couple of months, and the man was stubborn and standoffish, brash at the best of times. Carl didn’t quite know how his old friend would react to the proposition. He’d try though, for his son if nothing else.

Markus smiled, just a little. “Thanks Carl.”

 

 

Knuckles slammed into leather, only separated by a thin wrap. The punches kept coming. Over, over, over and over again. Adrian barely paused to take a breath. Emotions were overwhelming. Absolutely, devastatingly overwhelming. He was so… something. He’d gotten the call from his commanding officer about an hour prior, and he’d barely paused from his current activity since. Perkins was an ass of a man who pranced about like he was the president.

“Agent 1000,” He’d said as soon as Adrian picked up. The bastard even refused to use his real name. “We have another case for you, this time in Ohio. It’s fishy.”

The FBI, particularly the department Adrian works in, had their nose in business that was not theirs to pursue, yet again. By fishy, Perkins meant that someone, somewhere, pasted to ‘possibly supernatural’ label on it. The majority of the time it was nothing. For that, Adrian thanked every higher power he didn’t believe in. He raked his nails, borderline claws, through gold strands and turned his back to the punching bag.

A beat passed. The house, large, empty, was silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Adrian spun around with such speed and fluidity, and there was a loud crack as his foot connected with the bag, which now was laying a couple yards from its stand. Damn werewolf strength.

He pulled out his phone, walking away. The cell rang three times before there was a response. He spoke in a smooth voice.

“Hello, Amanda.”


	2. Ma Famille, Il est ici

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family (ˈfam(ə)lē):  
> A complex social unit consisting of people who are held dear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, this was fast,, don't normally expect updates this fast I just had free time okay?? But actually, I'm thriving for y'all comments and support, like seriously thank youu <3 <3 I'm just a lil ol person trying my hardest! Please excuse any mistakes, I think I've been writing for four or five hours at this point.

Weeks passed. Hank had known from the start that something was off about those two, about their auras. It was only after a particularly hard chase that he finally realized what it was. There’d been a call about noise, shouting and then a gunshot. First responders arrived in time to find a dead body, and no other trace. Connor and Hank were assigned to the case, and they’d arrived with in the hour. They managed to locate the murderer, hidden in the attic of the small run down house near the shore. He had jumped out of the window and sprinted towards the coast. Connor was hot on his heels. Hank could barely keep up, but he knew the city like the back of his hand, and he took a shortcut.

He arrived in time to intercept the perp, right by the guardrail next to the ocean. A rocky cliff sat past the edge. He was locked into a struggle with the murderer. Then Connor was there, and their perp grabbed Hank with surprising strength and left him knocked him over the edge, leaving him dangling. Connor helped his partner up without hesitation, letting the perp get away. They were both winded. Hank had less control in blocking out the aura’s of others, and Connor’s was so bright. Connor had less control in keeping his aura in check, and it was glowing wildly. The two looked at eachother, and really saw the other for the first time. And Hank had known about Connor, and Connor had known about Hank.

In the car ride back to the station, the two sat. They were still slightly winded, and a little shaken, but breathing.

Hank’s voice was a bit rougher than normal when he spoke, “So, what are you? You’re not mer, that’s for certain, but you’ve got sea creature all over your aura.”

“Myself and Niles… we’re Selkies. We were abandoned as children. I don’t think it was our mother’s fault, really. We were adopted by a woman, I wouldn’t even call her a witch. She didn’t really treat us well. It seemed almost like we were merchandise to her,” Connor sighed at the memory, shuddering, before continuing, “She kept all the different type of creatures separate, because we all knew that she had more, but it was impossible to tell. We were kept in different wings of a giant house, and upon occasion we’d see each other in passing. I can’t say for anyone else, but she gave Niles and I an education through a myriad of private instructors. It caught us up, and eventually put us ahead of our ‘grade’ level, if you could even call it that; it was an all year ordeal.

“Eventually we graduated two years early. I’ve come to realize that she wanted to use us. She wanted to give us powerful paths where she could control us to facilitate her own gain. We had wanted to be police officers. She’d wanted us to go into the FBI, but she compromised. And so we went to the police academy. It was the first time we were even slightly on our own, even though we were to give Amanda reports each night. But we began to see that it wasn’t normal in the slightest, and we managed to lose her control over us. Somehow,” Connor closed his eyes and took a breathe, “We graduated top of our class and now we’re here. Free.”

Hank took a breathe. He heard all of what Connor had just said, and he was so… so enraged. How could anyone be that terrible? And then he remembered how he’d treated Connor at the beginning of their partnership- even recently upon occasion, he’d treated him as less than human, simple because he couldn’t control his dumb emotions about Cole.

“Connor, I’m-” he began, but was promptly cut off.

“No. You had no way of knowing, Lieutenant. Don’t apologize.” He seemed a little spiteful as he said, “I am not a newly bloomed flower in need of coddling, nor am I going to break from a few harsh words. I understand that your ire which you directed at me was caused by something else. I am not stupid.”

The rest of the car ride back was had in silence, only Knight’s of the Black Death blasting through the speakers of Hank’s old car. Somehow, the two had reached an agreement. They worked perfectly in tandem, and got along extremely well. Hank still had his mornings, hungover and late. But he took it out on Connor less, and they started happening with decreasing frequency. They fell into routine. And things started to work.

 

Gavin Reed was an increasingly displeasing personality to work with. The more they worked, the worse he got. He was hostile, volatile. He became enraged easily, and had the habit of pulling out his phone too often. But Niles couldn’t help but notice that he always seemed tired. He always put in effort, got everything he needed to do. And he was a phenomenal detective. He was able to pick up even the smallest details, and could always deduce the truth from the details he was given. He was almost as perceptive as Niles himself, which was feat unto itself. 

He and Niles did not get along well. That was a fact. Yet as unpleasant as it was to work with the other, they worked amazingly together. That was also a fact. Niles prioritized helping others over his own comfort. So if their working together helped more people than their not, then he’d endure whatever it took.

Niles had to give props to the Captain; he’d paired both his brother and himself with people they worked perfectly with, somehow. No matter how unpleasant it had been at first. It was obvious that things with the Lieutenant were progressing well for his brother. He could tell that Connor looked up to his partner, and Niles was glad for him. The two started getting along more, and after a particularly hard chase, Connor suggested that the brothers take their lunch break at a nearby restaurant.

“The Lieutenant knows.” It wasn’t a question on Niles’ part. The slight guilty hunch to his brother’s shoulders told him everything he needed to know. “Con,” He paused them on the sidewalk, pulled his brother out of the center because he was a _courteous_ civilian, and would _not_ obstruct traffic. _Unlike some Detective he knew_. He smirked at the thought, but quickly brought himself back to the conversation at hand. “I am not upset with you. I trust in your judgement, and if you believe that we can trust Lieutenant Anderson, then I will.” He pulled his twin into a hug.

“Thanks Nines,” Connor murmured. The nickname Nines had been an old one. While they were twins, Connor was the older, born three minutes before midnight on August 8th, whereas Niles was born two minutes after midnight on August 9th. Connor adored this fact, and as children would rub it in whenever he could. It didn’t help that his name sounded a hell of a lot like Nines. While at first it irked him endlessly, now he took it for what he knew it was: affectionate, a sign that Connor still cares. He loved his brother more than anything in the world.

They continued their walk to their destination with small talk, joking about work and just really talking.

“I still think we should get a dog,” Connor said after swallowing his food.

“Mm. I still think we should get a cat,” Niles responded without pause barely looking up from his food.

“I doubt we’ll ever agree,” Connor laughed.

“Maybe we’ll just have to get both eventually.”

“After we get settled, yeah. I’d like that.”

 

Markus walked into his home. It was a small cottage on the outskirts of town. He shared it with his three best friends. Or, two best friends and cat, given the moment. He and North were aspiring witches, and practiced constantly together. The secluded location helped them with that. They also shared the house with Josh, a werecat. Markus had taken the ‘stray off the streets, and had tried to find his owner restlessly for a week, before he finally realized that Josh wasn’t just a cute dark red somali. He apologized profusely, but Josh and he became friends somehow. He stuck around. The last member of their little family was Simon, a Dryad. He’d been friends with Markus since he was kid. They chose the little cottage because it was near the forest that Simon considered home.

The second he was over the threshold he found North lounging on their couch, her head hanging off the side, making little sparks jump from finger to finger idly. Simon was up in the kitchen making lunch. Josh, in his cat form, was lying in the sunlight that filtered through the window. North and Simon were chatting.

There was something so nice about walking into a warm home that you share with your friends. He smiled to himself as he walked over to North. He picked up her legs and sat under them so they were resting on his lap. The afternoon passed without incident, and Markus felt undeniably happy.

His phone rang then. “Carl? Is everything okay?”

“Yes son, you worry too much. Am I not allowed to just call?” the old man asked with a laugh.

“Sorry, you normally don’t call on days I visit you.”

Carl chuckled, “Hm. Well, I actually do have a reason to call you. Remember when I told you that I have a friend who would apprentice you?” Markus did, in fact, remember, but just barely. He honestly hadn’t thought anything of it in the first place, and it had been a couple weeks since his dad had told him about it.

“Well, I asked him, and he said yes.”

“...Really?” Markus asked in disbelief. It’s not that he didn’t believe his dad, but he’d developed the habit of not relying on anyone except himself, and it was a hard one to break.

“Really son. Hank is a cop too. He’s a good man.”

A couple days passed; his first lesson was on a friday afternoon, where he was walking to then. The address Carl had given him was a small cabin near the beach. What a fitting place for a water witch to live.

He was nervous. That he could not deny. However, he was also extremely excited. If this man could actually help him… Well, that would be amazing. Maybe he could get out of this plateau.

 

Hank was nervous. Sure, he was just teaching a friend’s kid, how hard could it be? But he wasn’t exactly the best with people, and he hadn’t ever really taught anyone before. When Carl had first asked it of him, he thought he’d say no. Then, inexplicably, he’d thought of Connor. Connor and his big, dopey brown eyes and kind smile. And he’d thought of Cole. Cole’s big blue eyes, how happy he always was- he couldn’t think about all that right then. Not when Carl’s son was on his way.

Recently, it had gotten easier to think about his son. It still hurt like a bitch, and he still got a strong craving for alcohol whenever he did, but he was able to resist the urge to pick up a bottle every now and then. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Sumo’s low bark alerted him of his guest before the doorbell rang. Hank was at the door in a few small strides, and he opened the door to see a young man, probably Connor’s age. He had tanned skin and bright eyes. _That were different colors._ One green eye and one blue eye stared at him, a gaze that was so striking that it would be intimidating if the man wasn’t _absolutely cowering_ on his front step. Seems he’s not the only nervous one.

“You Markus?” He asked. He was fairly certain it was, but he could never be sure.

“Um. Yes,” Markus took a second to gather his bearings, “Hello, you must be Hank.”

Hank nodded in assent, and even though Markus had straightened up and leveled his gaze, he was still drumming his fingers against his thigh in seemingly no pattern. He considered teasing the young man about it, but decided to spare him. And Sumo was trying to shove his way out, so that might have influenced his decision some. Just a bit.

He held Sumo back and opened the door wider so Markus could enter. “So, Markus,” he began after standing up fully, “Let’s get started, yes?”

 

Markus could tell Hank was skilled. By the end of his first two hour lesson, he’d been corrected on so many small things, and everything he did came smoother. It felt like someone has started to unclog a pipe, and the water was coming far easier in far greater quantities. He tried to force some Money onto the older man, but Hank refused.

“Carl’s done so much for me… The least I could do is teach his son for free. Anyways, you’re a good kid. You’ve got a lot of potential,” Hank responded with smile. They set up a next lesson, and Markus left feeling refreshed and optimistic. He felt like he could fly. It almost felt like being free.

 

It took about a week of working with the snobby bastard for Gavin to realize he was not, in fact, snobby at all. He was rather polite and… kind, although Gavin was loath to admit such a thing. Stern was still intimidating in everything he did, in all of his skill. His sharp wit, his physique, his prowess as a detective and obviously so young, it all all made Gavin feel inadequate.

It took about a month and half for anything in their relationship to change. Or maybe it had been building up to it for their entire partnership, but that was not something Gavin was too keen on looking into to.

It was an investigation that turned into a hostage situation. Stern’s first. The man didn’t panic, showed excellent skill in the situation. He handled it all with grace, but it was Gavin who ended up negotiating for the young boy’s freedom.

It was a jarring experience, that was for sure. But it worked out, and the woman was arrested. The young boy had clung to Gavin after being freed. His father was dead, his mother long gone. He was going to live with his uncle, but it was still a terrible thing. Gavin did his best to keep calm and kind for the poor boy. He understood what traumatic events did to you. He only hoped the kid would recover better than he had.

At the station he was in charge of the kid the entire time. If he was less understanding of this, he might’ve thought he was being pawned off to the side. He knew however, that that job was the most important in the aftermath of it all. Helping the kid get through it to the best of his ability was all he focused on, so much so that he totally missed the admiring looks he received from not only his partner, but the entire precinct.

The uncle came in, and the little boy sprinted to him and gave him a huge hug, sobbing. Gavin trailed behind the boy, giving the two enough distance and privacy before approaching.

“Sir, I assume you are Dean Glover?” Gavin asked, his tone polite but somber still.

“I am,” He said. The man was tall, and he stood up straight even with the small boy in his arms. He tried to look put together, but he looked like he was about to fall apart. Anyone would.

Gavin ran through the formalities, trying his hardest to let this poor family go to collect themselves and mourn. Soon enough, Mr. Glover turned to leave. Gavin wasn’t sure why, but he watched as they walked to the door. Snapping himself out of it, he turned to go to his desk.

“Wait!” He snapped his head around to see the little boy running over to him. He barely hesitated as he dropped and caught the flurry of motion in a hug. It lasted for a couple of seconds, and Gavin barely caught the whispered, “thank you,” before the boy was over to his uncle again. Gavin nodded to the man, and he received a nod in response. Then they left.

He returned to his desk, setting to the paperwork without looking up. He didn’t want to see the sneers. He didn’t like showing vulnerability. Gavin knew he’d do it all again if it helped that kid, even in the slightest. That still didn’t mean he liked it.

“Detective?” Gavin heard softly from across him. He stole himself and looked up. Looking back were serious blue eyes. He thought he could see anxiety in them, but then again, maybe he was just seeing his own reflection.

“Thank you,” his partner paused, took a breathe that shook just slightly, continued, “I doubt I would have been able to handle that at all, let alone with even remotely the amount of care you have. I doubt anyone in here would have.” He smiled, and directed at him, it was completely new. Gavin decided he rather liked it. “I’m grateful to have been assigned such a competent partner… I’m glad you’re my partner, Gavin.”

And then Niles stood up and strode out of the building.

He came back about half an hour later, and they didn’t talk about it. Gavin would never have enough courage to say anything about it ever. But he shot his partner a hesitant smile, when their eyes met, and when he stood for a coffee, he brought two back for each of them. For awhile it was kind of awkward between them. Gavin was absolutely terrible at human interaction, and when he couldn’t fall back on his normal use of barbs and insults he didn’t know quite what to do.

Eventually they fell into a routine. Quips and playful banter became their usual. When Gavin would launch a joking insult his way, Niles would respond in kind. It worked. Icey, cold blue eyes became beautiful in his mind. Politeness that used to annoy him became endearing. And somewhere along the way, Detective Stern, his partner, that bastard, became Niles.


	3. Un Jeu de Confiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have some fun, discover the beauty of friendship, and start stumbling head over heels for eachother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a hot minute. I’ve been hella busy, and this took way longer than it should’ve. But it’s here!! And as an apology, it’s mostly just good cute stuff. Have fun!!!

By their third lesson, Markus had improved exponentially. He was able to shape water fairly well, to the point he could suspend a ball of it in the air. They’d worked their entire last meeting on precision, trying to separate smaller, specific amounts of water and shaping it, to the point of detail. It was extremely taxing, but Hank _did_ say it was an exercise in stamina and focus. Markus understood why. He had to not only separate the water, but also form minute details and hold them while he moved on to form more. Then they worked on moving it while holding the details. It was kind of a catastrophe, but his mentor reassured him that he was doing well.

He was kind of inclined to agree.

Markus was positive Hank would like North. At first he was hesitant to bring his friend; she was more inclined to fire, and Markus wasn’t quite sure if Hank would be able to teach her. Hank assured him that while he couldn’t teach her as much as he’d taught Markus, there was still always something he could do.

 

So Markus was walking with North this time, rather than on his own. She was practically buzzing with excitement.

“Fuck yeah Markus, we’re finally making progress,” the woman laughed as they walked. She was so happy that she and Markus were moving forward with goals. They had wanted so badly to be witches since they were kids and found out that magic was real from Carl. Markus’ dad wouldn’t teach them anything until they were teenagers, and even then he only taught them the bare minimum. It had taken so long to cultivate their magic on their own, but they’d gotten this far, and look how _fast_ Markus was moving with a tutor. They could really get somewhere with this. They were floored.

“Of course we are. We always knew we would. It was just a matter of getting here,” Markus responded as he walked forwards. But she was right. They were finally making progress, and how amazing was that?

 

Hank had been teaching Markus for a couple of weeks at that point. The boy had made phenomenal progress, he obviously had talent. He’d learned the young witch also had sass, once he felt comfortable. Just like Connor.

In Hank’s humble opinion, his partner needed friends. Sure, he had his brother and that was amazing, but really, he barely talked to anyone that didn’t work at the station, and that wasn’t any good, now was it? Hank was certain the two would get along. So he set his plan into motion.

“Hey Connor,” he began, the evening before his next lesson with Markus.

“Yes, Lieutenant?” his partner asked without looking up from his terminal.

“You keep talking about how you want to meet Sumo, so whaddaya say you come over tomorrow and meet him since it’s our day off?”

Connor’s eyes lit up at the prospect, and Hank knew he’d won.

 

Connor was not all that surprised by his partner’s proposal. They’d been getting along extremely well, and he almost viewed Hank in some sort of convoluted parental role, although he’d never admit it out loud. He could tell, however, that there was more to this than just meeting Sumo. What kind of detective would he be if he couldn’t? Connor suspected it was something to do with magic, although he supposed there was no way to be sure. He trusted Hank though, so there was no reason to worry about ulterior motives. It didn’t stop him from being curious, in any case.

His suspicions were confirmed about five minutes after he arrived. Upon his arrival to his partner’s house, a small cabin near the beach, about a three minute walk down the road, he’d heard low, heavy, almost _lazy_ barks coming from the inside.

Connor loved dogs. He’d never had one in his life; Amanda would have never allowed it, obviously, and once he and Niles moved out, it just never happened. He was rather excited to see what the Lieutenant had in store for him.

The door opened even before he knocked, a perk of having a dog he assumed, and in the door stood his partner, valiantly holding the big dog back with his leg.

“Sumo- back,” Hank said, and surprisingly enough, the dog listened. The lieutenant opened the door fully before turning and patting the big dog on his head, continuing in a much warmer and softer tone that he would deny no matter the circumstances, “Good boy.”

Connor will admit it to no one, but he felt like a kid again petting the big dog. He crouched down to pet him when Sumo, clearly content with the attention, barreled his head into Connor’s chest to get more, sending him sprawling onto his butt. He let out a strangled yelp that quickly turned into a laugh as Sumo started licking his face. He really loved dogs. In the back of his mind he could hear the Lieutenant laughing, yet he couldn’t really bring himself to care. He smiled. _What a good boy._

Eventually he stood up awkwardly, not knowing what else to do. Luckily, Hank continued seamlessly. 

“Do you want anything to drink? I have beer, water, milk, and coffee,” he asked as he walked into the small attached kitchen.

“Water is fine,” he replied, and he finally took in his surroundings. The house he was in, better described a cabin, had the floor and ceiling made from a dark, textured wood, tan walls, and an open layout. A white couch and a dark brown recliner sat in the middle on the living area, atop a beige rug. In the corner sat a desk, and on that sat a myriad of crystals. There were plants on most available surfaces, and the room had a bright, fresh feeling despite the various debris littered around. He followed the Lieutenant into the opening of the kitchen. A row of herbs hung along a string by a brick wall. Light streamed through a window, hitting a crystal pendulum which scattered light in a rainbow of colors across the floor. Connor took a breath. It was really nice.

The partners sat down in the living area, where Hank turned on the tv and let it play. Sumo jumped up onto the couch with Connor, flopping his entire weight onto the detectives lap. Despite the fact that he could barely breathe, he felt content. The Hank looked at him.

“You any good with magick?” And thus Connor’s suspicions came to fruition.

“Mm, yeah,” He forced out, trying to get enough air with the heavy dog on his lap and chest, “I mostly specialize in water magick, but I can also do plenty of air magick. Obviously, selkie magick too.” The entire time he said this, Connor continued to run his fingers through the Saint Bernard’s fur. The loose hairs were starting to gather around the dog’s rump and cling to his skin and clothes. Good. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Huh. You’ll have to show me sometime. I know a little mer magick, but mostly I know human water magick. It’s not too different, but there are some things that differ a crazy amount,” he paused, taking a sip of his beer. “I’ve got a kid coming over any minute now for a lesson. You should stick around.”

If Connor had had any water in his mouth, he would’ve spit it out. He was absolutely terrible with kids. They terrified him. They were so fragile and impressionable. Or if they were older, often mean and threatening. And! Hank, teaching a kid? Connor did not peg the Lieutenant as the type, but he guessed he could never be sure. Damn, he was panicking. He paused for breath. Ran his fingers through Sumo’s fur, and calmed down. He had to make a decision based on logic, not emotion. If the lieutenant wanted him here, then he shouldn’t wor-

The doorbell rang, and his choice was gone.

“That should be Markus now,” Hank said with a smirk. Connor really should stop putting so much faith in the old witch.

 

Today, Sumo didn’t bark. It wasn’t a big deal, but every time he arrived, the dog would bark. His gut was telling him something was different. He pushed aside the thought, and walked up the steps. North was practically bouncing with energy. He rang the doorbell.

Hank opened the door with a slightly mischievous smile on his face. “Hello Markus,” he greeted, giving North a cursory glance.

“Ah, yeah, hey Lieutenant, this is my friend North. North, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, our teacher,” Markus introduced.

“Well isn’t this perfect. I actually have someone to introduce you to as well,” He opened the door wider, allowing them in. Markus saw why Sumo didn’t bark. He was sitting on the couch. Markus couldn’t care less, not really, not as his eyes met with big brown eyes on one of, if not the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.

“Markus, meet Detective Connor Stern.”

 

Connor wanted to both punch and thank Hank profusely. Of course he wasn’t teaching a child, he was teaching a young adult who he called kid, because he called anyone ten or more years younger than him kid. And of course he’d be the most gorgeous person this earth has ever created, on par with Greek Gods, far better than any Siren he’d ever seen, and of course. Of course. Connor’s sitting on his partner’s couch, covered in dog hair, in adidas pants and an old waffle shirt that was just a bit too big on him. At least he wasn’t wearing his glasses, and his hair was still styled, but still. Of course he’d meet an actual ethereal being in a fucking waffle shirt.

“Connor, this is Markus, and North, my students,” Hank had the audacity to say. How dare he. How dare Hank do this to him. Connor was gay and bad at social interactions. How dare he?

 

“Hi,” Markus managed. He knew he’d hear about this later from North. He got his bearings together and approached the other. Putting on his most charming smile and smoothing his voice out, he continued, “I’m Markus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Being addressed snapped Connor out of his stupor, and he realized that if he wanted to make a good impression, he’d have to get his act together. He could work a waffle shirt and adidas pants. The dog hair wasn’t ideal, but he could manage. But first. “Sumo, off,” the dog listened and got off of him, allowing him to stand. He brushed himself off and extended his hand in greeting.

“Hello, Markus. My name is Connor,” Connor replied. And with all the tact and cheek he could muster, he sent a wink with his most charming smile. He knew he’d hear about this later from Hank. He couldn’t care less.

 

Markus almost squeaked at the wink. Almost. Instead, he focused on keeping his cool, and putting up the most alluring persona he had. He could hear North behind him choking on held back laughter. Markus saw the detective, looking beautiful and soft with the dog on his lap, and then stunning and slightly dangerous in his strong stance and confident posture when he stood up. He knew that he wanted to get to know the man in front of him, others’ opinions be damned.

 

Seeing the two boy practically short circuit when they saw each other then immediately start flirting was absolutely hilarious. He could tell North agreed. Far better than just getting the kid a friend. Eventually however, he had to get the lesson started. He clapped his hands. “Okay, I think it’s time we start this lesson.” They went out onto his back porch where he normally taught Markus, so nothing in his home got super wet.

“So,” Hank began. “I’m going to be teaching some overall basics about magick, and general stuff that isn’t simply focused on water Magick. Magick is in everything. You can pull Magick from the earth, the air, water, fire, your lineage and history, the future, or a soul. The latter two are dangerous to the balance and future generations, as well as your own health. They’re pretty much a no go. Most often we pull magick from the air, and we use it in our various disciplines.

“However, if we pull magick from the source of our discipline, it becomes stronger. With some practice, you can begin to distinguish where the magick is coming from.” He glanced at Connor, seemingly asking permission. He hesitated, but eventually nodded.

“I’m a selkie,” Connor said. “I can pull magick from my heritage as a selkie, and it makes transforming and other selkie magick so much easier. It’s quite helpful to learn the difference between sources of magick. While it’s uncommon, it’s not unheard of for a witch to accidentally take magick from their soul without knowing any better and end up killing themselves,” he continued solemnly, a small frown playing at the corners of his lips. “It takes a lot of time and effort to truly be able to distinguish different sources, but you’ll get there eventually.” The smile he gave after his small monologue was completely and utterly directed at Markus, and Hank couldn’t help but snort.

“One thing you can do to help is meditate near a bunch of different sources. Get yourself a campfire on the beach, or near a lake or river. Then try your magick. Try and distinguish the different feelings. With enough practice, you might even be able to call on it from a distance. That skill is particularly good for fire witches,” Hank told North, “Because the amount of fire you find just around wherever you go is practically zilch.”

The lesson carried on, not-at-all-subtle glances being passed back and forth between Connor and Markus, the former contributing little pieces of info that clearly showed his knowledge and prowess. All things come to an end, however, and Hank had to wrap up the lesson. As the two apprentices exited the house, Markus sent Connor one last glance. As soon at the door shut, Hank broke out cackling. How wonderful. How absolutely, positively wonderful this was.

 

The lieutenant’s laughter broke him out of his thoughts“Shut up Hank!” Connor yelled while hiding his face, embarrassment welling up inside his stomach.

“Listen, kid,” Hank began, sobering up relatively quickly. “I care about you, and I know you’ve got your brother, and now you’ve got me, but that’s about it. You two need to talk to more people. In case something happens to me. Markus is a good kid. Let him into that hard shell of yours. It’ll do you some good.”

Connor was left quiet, touched by his partner’s words. Warmth spread through his chest, and a smile wormed its way onto his face. “Thanks, Hank.” Then, “I care about you too.”

It seemed, though, that Hank couldn’t be serious for more than a couple minutes, because he then said, “So, the next lesson is next thursday,” with a smirk and a laugh. Connor groaned, but secretly was thankful. It was really nice having someone other than his brother look out for him, no matter how grateful he was for his brother. And anyways, he really did want another excuse to talk to Markus.

Connor made his way back to his and his brother’s shared apartment, unsurprised to find it empty. While today was his off day, Niles still had work. Connor made a spicy Thai stir fry, and sat down on the couch with a plate, turning on a dumb show in the background as he mused on the beautiful man he met.

Almost twelve minutes after his shift was supposed to end, Connor got a message from his twin.

Niles: _Hey con, I’m going to be out a bit later tonight, you probably shouldn’t stay up. Night eight_

Connor chuckled at that. Not going to stay up? Silly little brother, of course he’d stay up.

He simply responded,

Connor: _have fun ;)_

Connor wondered what he was doing.

 

Niles was happy. Mostly. He found joy in the detective across him, and any time they spent together was cherished, even if it was just working on paperwork like they were at the moment. Niles had had friends at the police academy, but they were never close, Amanda never allowed it. And of course, he had Connor, but that was different. Gavin was the first friend he had that he wanted to get closer to. He wanted to help the other, for him confide in Niles. Wanted, selfishly, for the detective to help him through the days when he could barely find a reason to get out of bed. He knew Connor struggled with it too, so while he knew his brother would do his best to help, Niles didn’t want to put his baggage on the other’s already teetering pile.

Niles was happy, though. At least in that moment, with his partner sat at the desk across from his. His friend. It was bit later, a friday evening nearing the end of their shift.

“Hey, terminator. After this, do you want to go out and get drinks somewhere?” detective Reed asked, and who was he to say no.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t tease a bit, however. “Hmph. Barely even the end of our shift and you’re already thinking about getting drunk,” He said with a smirk, and yet he couldn’t hide the warmth in it.

“Hey, no one said anything about getting drunk,” Gavin responded. He seemed embarrassed, and slightly defensive, which intrigued Niles. So his partner was self conscious about this, it meant a lot to him. Adorable.

“I find the idea of getting drinks with you to be… rather agreeable, Detective,” Niles amended with a small smile. And that how he found himself in a booth at a small bar, not too crowded but not dingey. It was quite a nice place. He sent a text to his brother alerting him he’d be out late, then focused his attention whole heartedly on Gavin.

They made small talk, joking about anything that came to mind. Reed introduced him to a game wherein you make up stories about other patrons. It was rather hilarious.

They were both about three drinks in, their inhibitions thrown off, brain to mouth filters working slow. “That man there, the tall pale one with the black hair. What about him?” Gavin asked him.

The response came out of his mouth even without his meaning to. “He’s a vampire named Eric, trying to blend in with the humans. He was raised with human culture, and so he has strong morals against drinking human blood, and even animal blood makes him queasy. He wants to go vegan, so he’s dedicated his life to finding a sustainable alternative.” He only realizes that his words may be thought weird after he said them, especially when all of the previous stories were about people like Tiffany, the girl who’s cheating on her boyfriend with the mailman, or Jeff, the depressed businessman who steals from his company.

Gavin’s response, however, was surprisingly serious, not at all judgemental. “Do you believe in that stuff? Ya know, Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, all that shit?” His words were just slightly slurred, his voice curious, still simply happy in his tone.

“I’m-” Niles pauses before carefully considering what to say next. He takes the coward’s route, but he’s tipsy enough to possibly regret anything he says in the morning. He makes sure to keep his voice neutral, “Hmph, do you?”

“I don’t know man. I think it’d be so cool if it was, ya know? But also I don’t know,” He laughed a little as he spoke. It seemed that Gavin had a little more trouble holding his liquor than Niles, which was rather cute.

Niles let Gavin finish his drink, and even partook in another round, but cut him off when he suggested getting more. “It’s getting late, Gavin,” he said with a sweet smile that he wasn’t even entirely aware he was making, “We should be getting going.” Really, the night was only starting up, but Niles would prefer if he wasn’t caught in the fray of a bunch of drunk people in a busy bar. Any ways, alcohol was fun, but only in moderation. Niles and Gavin stood up to walk outside, swaying just the slightest bit. The selkie called a taxi, and they waited outside. The longer Gavin stood, the more tired he seemed to get. Eventually he just slumped against his partner. Niles didn’t comment, just kept him upright with an arm around his waist.

Niles paid the driver to take them to Gavin’s apartment. The entire ride, Gavin was slouched against his side. The warmth was not… unwelcome. Rather, it was quite pleasant, and altogether far too confusing. The man next to him was by far one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Each imperfection gave him a depth to his perfection. How his nose didn’t quite line up straight, and the scar that adorned it was so tempting. He wondered how the stubble on his chin would feel against his lips, and really, he needed to stop. He was simultaneously not nearly drunk enough and far too tipsy for those thoughts.

He walked Gavin to his apartment, and leaning outside his door, Gavin spoke. “Thank you, for everything. F-for giving me a chance. For s-s-sticking with me, e-even through a-all m-m-my shit, I-” And then he had a crying Gavin Reed pressed against his chest. Selfishly, he loved this. Not seeing Gavin in pain, but being able to hold the other, to help him, to comfort him. He loved it.

Gavin lifted his head to look at Niles. “I- I don’t k-know where I’d b-be without y-you.” A shuddering breath left his lips. “So thank you.” And then his partner walked into the apartment, leaving Niles with simply a small, watery, breathtaking smile. 

 

The door opening startled Connor out of his sleepy state. He was instantly alert. Then he saw his brother, tipsy, walk through the door. He started laughing, because Niles looked absolutely _smitten._ It took a moment, but eventually his brother noticed him.

“I thought I told you n-not to wait up,” he reprimanded, although the slight lilt in his words completely undermined the desired effect.

“Nines, I’ve got a lot to tell you tomorrow. But for now let’s get to bed,” Connor said as he walked over to help his brother around. “It’s late,” he said with a fond smile. It wasn’t often that they drank, even less so out in a bar, and even less without each other, but it still happened. And every time, the one at home would help the other. It’s just what they did. Connor wouldn’t give it up for anything.

 

Ohio had been, eventful. It was supernatural. Oh, it was so, very supernatural. Not that he’d let the feds know. It had been a series of murders, seemingly unsolvable with no trace. Adrian had found traces of voodoo. And he followed it to the owner. He shifted reality, just enough, to give solid, _human_ evidence that she did it. And she was in jail, and the government was none the wiser.

But he had to deal with Amanda. Back in his LA home, he sat at his bar. He swirled the vodka around his glass, looking into it with disdain. Adrian hated lying to Amanda. He swore that she had some way of knowing. As if she was inside his brain. He shuddered at the thought.

Every part of him, however, wanted to tell her the exact same thing he’d told the feds. He didn’t know why! Adrian downed the vodka and poured himself another glass. It wouldn’t be the first night he found himself drunk alone in his big home.

Except Amanda would be upset if he didn’t report to her tonight. And he couldn’t call her drunk. Adrian wasn’t quite sure what she’d do, but the thought made a chill run down his spine. He shook his head.

He should just tell Amanda. She was on his side. She always would tell him that she needed the truth to help him. It made sense, right?

And still. Every part of his being was telling him not to. Every little part of his gut was saying that he needed to lie. He was tired of being a domesticated mutt. Yet he had no reason to feel that way. His entire life, Amanda gave him what was best for him. He had to tell her. Every part of him disagreed. He pulled out his phone with a shaky sigh.

_Please,_ he thought. _Let this be the right choice. ___


	4. La Mort de les Innocents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something smells fishy, and it isn't Hank, Connor, or Niles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been awhile! I'm really sorry for the wait, school was just getting out of hand for a bit, but now it's summer!!! I'm trying to get on a weekly update schedule, so I hope that works out.  
> Anyway, the plot is starting to pick up, there are feelings in this chapter, and we meet someone new!!  
> Hope y'all enjoy~

Gavin awoke to an alarm he’d forgotten to disable the night prior, the blaring sound grating on his headache. It definitely wasn’t the worst headache he’d woken up with, not even close, but it still felt like gravel was rattling about in his skull. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but Rum was pushing open his door and jumping onto the bed, and Vodka was meowing after her in her adorable, tiny voice. He tried to turn over and ignore it, but then Rum was walking on him and really, he couldn’t just ignore his cats like that. Any of his pets actually.

With great reluctance, Gavin peeled his covers off and rolled out of bed, the action teeming with petty annoyance and excess melodrama. He hoped it translated to his cats’ brains, that no he didn’t care about them _at all,_ he just wanted them to leave him in peace.

God forbid anyone actually learned he cared.

The bitter thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, left a heavy knot in his stomach, left him dropping his charade and moving out to his living room in yesterday’s boxer. He remembered the night prior perfectly, even with the slight clouding of his memory. He remembered feeling in control, then their leaving and his thinking it a great idea to lean on his partner. How after that, he couldn’t seem to get up. And then getting home and feeling an overwhelming surge of emotion. Crying.

Letting Niles see him for who he really was.

Gavin opened the can of cat food with too much force, the anxiety pulling at his stomach because Niles probably thought he was a fool. He was probably going to put in a form to switch partners as soon as he got back to work, because Gavin was a coward and an incompetent idiot and an emotional wre-

He took a breath and, after giving the cats their food, went in to his room and pulled Shelly out of her tank. In his hair she went. He checked on Ali, and, when she seemed rather friendly that morning, he pulled her out as well. Then he walked to his living room, downed a glass of water and an aspirin, and sat in silence with his animals. He just sat and breathed. It was one thing he learned from years of panic attacks. Recognize when your thoughts are spiraling, and sit in the most comfortable place and breathe.

Gavin could feel the way Shelly shifted on his head, how Ali slid over his arm. He could feel the worn sofa under him, the soft fabric of his clothes. He could feel the air entering and leaving his lungs, and the thoughts leaving his head.

After a duration of time, maybe two minutes, maybe fifteen, he stood from his spot and put Ali back in her cage. It took some persuading, but he eventually got the sweet girl off his arm and back in her warm home. Then he walked out to his kitchen to get something for breakfast, Shelly now sitting on his shoulder.

It was going to be a long day.

 

The next morning, Connor pulled himself out of bed, exhaustion hanging off of his bones. He stumbled to the kitchen to get his coffee, then made omelettes for he and Nines. After eating and setting an ibuprofen and a glass of water out, he left for the station.

The selkie entered the police station to find Hank not yet there, and with his brother off at home, he really didn’t have much to do. Hank and he had been covering many small cases in the weeks prior, and there seemed to be less cases to go around. While a good thing overall, Connor couldn’t help but wish for something to occupy his time.

The morning passed uneventfully, with the lieutenant arriving in some semblance of on time; they tackled the arduous amount of paperwork from their recently closed cases and chatted about random things.

“So,” the lieutenant began, “What’d you think of Markus?” he said with a smirk.

Connor turned red and looked off to the side, inspecting his torn cuticles. No matter how hard Niles tried, he could never get Connor to stop picking at them when a piece of his skin got pulled up. “He- he was nice.”

 

Hank laughed, but continued on nonetheless, “I’m being serious. I think he has potential, but I want your opinion. He’s been making amazing progress, I think.”

Connor took a moment to ponder this. Markus seemed to hang off of each word Connor had taught the night prior, absorbing every word like a sponge in water. He was clearly dedicated to the craft, chasing it like a starved man. Connor wondered if Markus went after everything with that type of fervor. He brushed the thought away. “He is… Markus is obviously passionate about,” he paused, not wanting to say magick in a place like their current, “baking. It’s obviously not a passing fancy. And yeah, he really does seem to have plenty of natural talent and… baking prowess.”

Hank rolled his eyes at the dumb analogy, but continued despite his exasperation, “He’s a good kid, and he really is passionate about baking. His father bakes, but refused to teach Markus, claiming he could’ve easily made a mess or burned himself.”

Connor nodded in understanding. It made sense, magick _was_ extremely messy. “I think your taking him on as an apprentice was a good choice. I think he could really become something.”

A knowing look filled Hank’s eyes, and small smirk graced his lips. “Yeah. Yeah, I do think I made a good choice.” And with that all-too-self-satisfied remark, the lieutenant turned back to his terminal and continued working.

 

Niles was sitting on the couch, pondering his night with his new friend. They could be called that, couldn’t they? He really didn’t have much experience with that. He was sitting in a pair of NASA pajama pants with his fur wrapped around his bare shoulders. The TV was playing a bad sitcom, the type he and his brother would watch together when they were upset.

He turned it off and stood to walk to his bedroom. There, he changed into clothes resembling some semblance of presentable. Then he left, his fur folded neatly into a bag.

He shot Connor a text:

_Heading to the coast. I’ll text you when I get back but I’ll be MIA until then_

It took him about fifteen minutes to reach the coast, a rocky, deserted shore line surrounded by woods. There, he sat on a rock by the water, his mind already clearing with the salty air. Niles glanced around to make sure there really was alone, before stripping. His clothes and pelt switched places in his bag, and with his fur secured around him and his bag hidden behind some rocks, he dove into the water. Even as his feet were leaving the ground, he was already transforming. The magick was as familiar as the feeling of turning itself, a sort of numb, tingly weightlessness, then the reacquainting with his senses as the numbness left. It was always odd to feel one form after being so used to another for so long.

Feeling the water rush around his head as he swam was like a healing balm on his soul. He rushed through the ocean as fast as his fins could take him, which was rather fast. He took time to pause and somersault through the salty water. The water felt good on his big, round eyes, and he felt like he could see for miles under the surface. The water was so tempting, and he swam back to the shore before turning around and following the slope of the ocean floor deeper into the depth.

It was there, hidden in the cool dark ocean, that he could finally think on his relation to his partner. Gavin was a wonderfully rough man, chalk full of imperfections. He couldn’t say anything however, because Niles knew he also had many shortcomings. Even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t mind. All of his sharp edges and frayed words were desirable in a way Niles hadn’t felt for awhile. To an extent that he’d never felt.

Thinking about the man led Niles to a realization. His feelings towards Gavin were far more complex than that of a friend, or even someone he wished to have a friendship with. And after a moment of anxiety, the pressure of the water over him helped him relax. He was fine with this development. Niles would just have to figure out what the detective’s feelings towards him were.

At that moment, however, he knew one thing for sure. They were at least friends, and maybe for then, that would be enough.

 

Markus had known, as soon as they’d exited the house, the amount of shit he’d receive from North. He’d known, and he’d braced himself accordingly.

It never came.

Instead, North went along smiling a bit too knowingly and continuing conversation about the lesson. Then she got to their home, and ran off to talk to Simon and Josh. About what, he didn’t care to know. He grabbed his painting supplies, and in the nice weather, went outside to paint.

About an hour into a painting of what appeared to be a big dog and a tall person, North, Josh and Simon came sauntering towards him.

“Oooh, whatcha drawing?” North asked with a smirk and a twinkle in her eyes.

“A dog,” was all he allowed in response.

“Sure, sure. Any dog in particular?”

“No.” Yes. It was Sumo, obviously it was Sumo. “Why would I be painting a specific dog?”

“What’s the tall figure next to the dog?” Simon asked, all innocence on the outside, but Markus knew him. So this is what North was telling the two of them about.

“Just a person,” he replied, avoiding.

“Sure,” North said, “Ya know, that looks an awful lot like… What were their names?”

At that point, there was only so much evading Markus could do to before he looked like a fool, and he was far past that point; might as well dig deeper. “Who’s names? North I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“At Hank’s place at our lesson,” she smirked, “Ya know, his dog and his partner?” Her voice shook the slightest bit with barely restrained giggles, and the last word had such a smug drag to it… Markus was absolutely going to die.

Doubting how dumb he could play this one, he replied, “Oh, sumo and, god, Conan, maybe?” He put his best confused look on, and to top it off, reached up and scratched the back of his head.

North was cackling.

 

Adrian had lied. He’d lied to Amanda Mcclure and he didn’t know why but he had and she didn’t know. Or, he hoped she hadn’t picked up on it. He felt terribly uneasy. He had found himself, after that fateful call, tearing into his punching bags with a fervor he hadn’t had for a long time.

He’d thought on his relationship with Amanda. When he was about three, Amanda had saved him. He didn’t remember the details, just the fact that if Amanda hadn’t helped, he would be dead. At least, that’s what she told Adrian when he was younger and he’d doubted her. When he didn’t want to do his work. When he’d ask to meet the other kids in the house. Among the teenagers and toddlers, he remembered two boys, twins, a few years older than him. He’d always wanted to talk to them. Amanda never allowed it. Instead, she took all his focus and channeled it into his lessons, which allowed him to be where he was then. The youngest member of the FBI. Barely 21, he’d joined, even though the minimum age to join was 23. Thanks to Amanda, who had pulled some strings, and her always encouraging his education, he was allowed in, granted a waiver.

Amanda had always encouraged him to strive for some powerful position. She ensured that, no matter how high he went, he would have the proper paperwork for it. And he had. Not even the FBI was able to tell his ID was fake.

_“Remember, Adrian,” she said in her kind voice, her fingers grasping his chin in a tight grip, “No matter how high you go, never forget from whence you came. I saved you, and all I ask of you is that you tell me about all the cases you go on.” He opened his mouth to protest, because he wasn’t_ supposed _to tell anyone anything in his position, but she kept speaking, “I know, darling. It’ll be our little secret. Two more things now, listen close because these are important.” Adrian nodded, not daring to speak up. “Don’t ever tell anyone about me, okay? We don’t want our cover being blown. You have to remember that. And finally, and most important,” She paused, moving her hand to brush his hair away from his forehead, “I might ask you little favors every once in awhile. I don’t ask unless it is completely necessary, so you have to do them for me. If not, everything could fall apart, and everyone could get in trouble. You don’t want that, do you?”_

_“No, Amanda,” He said, concise and short. She didn’t like it when he spoke more than necessary._

_“Very good, Adrian. Now finish packing. The driver will be here in an hour, and you cannot be late.” She left his room, and he didn’t see her again at all, even as he rode away from her mansion, her gardens (the one he’d only ever been able to look at from the window, never walk through, never smell her precious roses), what for better or worse was his home._

She’d never said goodbye. Adrian guessed there was no need, as he, like she so urgently stipulated before his departure, called her to report every mission he went on. At first, she continued to act warm, but eventually she stopped. Their calls were strictly business.

Adrian wasn’t sure why he lied, but he had. He had and it felt good. Maybe Amanda wasn’t the end all be all of his life. Only time would tell.

And oh, tell it did.

 

Gavin decided, after a couple hours of chores intermingling with anxiety, to just text Niles. 

Gavin: _last night was fun. srry about bein all mopey at the end, i rlly did have a good time_

It took about an hour for a response, which he totally did not scramble at all for as soon as he heard his phone buzz. He glared at Rum, who was looking at him with her big smug eyes.

“Shut up.”

Niles Stern: _I also had fun, and don’t worry about getting ‘mopey’ as you called it. It was no inconvenience to me._

A couple of minutes later, filled with Gavin wondering, absolutely dumbly, what to do _(should he respond immediately? Should he wait? What should he say?)_ , when another text came in.

Niles Stern: _If you ever find you need to confide in anyone, I am more than willing to lend an ear._

Gavin read the text, and really just thought. Maybe, maybe it was finally time to open up to someone. Maybe he’d found someone he could actually trust.

Gavin: _thank you_

 

The next morning, Hank walked into the station bright and early to find that both of the Stern boys were already there, despite his best effort to get there early. He was about fifteen minutes early! That was extremely good for him, yet somehow they had already arrived. Hell, even Gavin was already there, nursing a cup of coffee and looking a little less tired than usual while talking to Connor’s brother.

Connor sat at his desk, typing away on his terminal, already seemingly hard at work. Hank sat in front of him. He barely got comfortable and greeted his partner before he heard a shout.

“Anderson, Stern, Reed, and Stern, in my office!” Fowlers voice boomed across the room. The four made eye contact, got up, and walked into the captain’s office.

About a month before, street cleaners had found a dead body in an abandoned apartment, cardiac arrest was determined to be the cause of death. The victim had a fake ID under the name of May Stetson. She was determined to be around 25, and from the state of her body (malnourished, dirty), it was declared she was homeless, and she’d died from cardiac arrest, which, while odd for someone of her age, was not unheard of.

Two weeks prior, another body was found. Homeless. No identity on record.

Cardiac arrest.

The police thought it odd, but ultimately declared it another natural death.

That was, until they found a third body with the exact same criteria. That had been the day before.

“Something, as you gentlemen can tell, is not right here. I don’t want to find another body,” Fowler paused, allowing for questions that never came. “This case takes first priority until further notice. Dismissed.”

 

Once upon a time, Hank would have been upset about working with Reed, yet ever since the Stern boys had joined the precinct, Hank’s relationships with his coworkers were looking up. In addition to that, Reed seemed to have less of a stick up his ass when he was around Niles. For that, Hank was incredibly thankful to the boy. The twins were helping the SFPD two most stubborn and harsh detectives to cool down some, and as such, slowly changing the entire precinct’s dynamic. No one gave Fowler the credit he deserved, though Hank would never admit it out loud. His partner was making him soft.

 

It was obvious, upon further investigation, that none of the heart attacks were simply natural. The autopsy reports revealed an extremely precise electric current was used to trigger cardiac arrest, slight burns left on the muscles in each arm. There was something deeply unsettling about the situation, and Connor could feel a tightness and a rolling in his gut: something was not right about this. The exact method of their deaths was too precise; it would have had to have been extremely expensive and high tech equipment that was used to kill these people… Or, of course, something else. Something that Connor was very familiar with.

Magick.

That, combined with the fact that all of the victims thus far had been unidentified peoples, too poor to have access to the proper fake IDs that affluent magick creatures used to get around, (had it not been for Amanda, that could have been him and Niles. They would’ve been living alone, on the streets, with only each other. He pushed the thought away) led Connor to believe that the case was very, very magickal.

The four showed up to the scene of the latest death, an abandoned parking lot across from a convenience store. It appeared that someone had been squatting in an old car for some time. Connor considered why that might have been. There was an abandoned home right next to the lot that would have been fine to squat in.

Unless there was something he was missing.

“Niles, Reed, you two should keep looking around out here. The lieutenant and I are going to take a look at that house over there,” he said, making eye contact with his brother. He hoped Nines got the hint.

“Why are you two going alone? Aren’t we all-” Reed began, but was promptly cut off by Nines.

“I think Connor is quite right. I’ve been meaning to talk to the owner of that store for awhile now,” Connor and Niles exchanged an imperceptible nod.

Reed grumble but turned and left with his retreating partner.

“What was the point of that, Connor?” Hank looked at him with a curious gaze, skepticism in his gaze.

“I feel it would be best if Reed were not there, should we find something… Troubling.”

Understanding lit up Hank’s eyes and he nodded. “Let’s get going then, shall we?”

 

Finding an entrance to the house was slightly difficult, and upon their entering it was made obvious that someone stayed there. The lack of dust on the two properly upright chairs and the table would be enough to prove that.

“Hello?” Called Connor, his voice bouncing off the empty walls and throughout the house. “Is anyone here?”

No response, yet he thought he could hear the a slight shifting in the floorboards. He thanked his selkie senses for their added advantages. He glanced around for the sound, but the day was overcast, and the windows were boarded up. It was too dark to thoroughly investigate. Not when he had better options. He took a breath and shut his eyes.

Connor had never particularly enjoy partial transformations, and it took a high level of skill to transform such a precise area, like his eyes. But as he blinked open, his irises, a deep, dark brown, had engulfed his entire eye, and his pupil was barely a teardrop in the center. He looked at the lieutenant and cocked his head, slightly reveling in the small recoil he received from his partner.

“Keep an eye out for me, lieutenant,” Don’t let Reed sneak up on us was implied. He took pity on his friend for a second and elaborated, “Seals eyes are much better equipped than a human’s to see in the dark.”

Hank nodded before turning towards the door. “Shout if something turns up, I’ll be looking around outside.”

And then Connor was alone.

First, he let his eyes wander around the room he was in. With even, balanced steps in the now illuminated room, he looked around at the table and around the various piles of trash. When that turned up nothing, he glanced into the conjoined room. It was a heavily graffitied room, but it was mostly empty. He stepped back out into the main room and headed for the stairs. He almost took the first step, but noticed the crawl space that was concealed by stacks of cardboard boxes. Connor stepped back, keeping his eyes on the dark corner. Then he stepped closer, peering into the dark area.

He reached out to move the top box-

And then all the boxes exploded outwards in a monumental crash, a human form tumbling out and ramming straight into his waist.

Connor didn’t fall, but it was close. He was wrestling with an indistinct form, weighing the pros and cons of all of his options.

He needed to subdue the person without knocking them out, and his best option would be to pin them down. The only problem with that would be that they would be in close proximity to one and other, directly eye to eye. And even though he suspected the person he was grappling with had some idea of magic, he couldn’t be sure. There was too much risk.

He could try to switch back to human, and physically he could with little effort. It was always easier to revert back, a simple purge of his system, a sweep and he would be back to human. The problem laid in the disorientation the switch in his vision would bring. It would have brought the possibility of the escapee gaining the upper hand, something he absolutely could not have.

Connor was at a draw.

He hoped that his opponent would be too disoriented to notice something odd in the dark.

Soon enough Connor had the other pinned on the ground. “Calm down, please. I have no plans to hurt you,” Connor paused a brought a small breath in before continuing, “I just need to ask you a few questions.”

As soon as the man stopped thrashing, Connor let a wave of new magick wash away the magick he had placed on his eyes. He blinked a few times to reacquaint himself with his surroundings, then took a moment to get a good look at the man under him. He was a gaunt, dirty looking blonde, with one wide green eye. The other was a hazy, milky blue, and that half of his face was covered in dark, terrible scars.

“P-please. Ralph doesn’t want any trouble. Ralph just wants to live in peace.”

“Shh, shh. It’s okay,” Connor placated, moving to stand up, cautious around the obviously erratic man at his feet. He reached his hand out to help the man up. “It’s okay. I’m not here for you,” Connor paused and thought about it for a second, “Well, I’m not here because of you, but you could help. Can I ask you a few questions?”

“R-ralph doesn’t know how to help police. Ralph is sorry,” the blonde, apparently Ralph, said.

“No, don’t worry. I’m going to ask you a few questions, if you could answer them, that would be very helpful,” Connor explained.

Ralph only nodded his head.

“Did you know anyone staying in the car in the lot over?” He began.

“Ralph knew him. H-he comes over and eats with Ralph sometimes, and he tells Ralph stories when it’s storming,” Ralph said with large eyes.

The fact that he was speaking in present tense worried Connor. He couldn’t tell if it was just another quirk, like his speaking of himself in the third person. “Have you seen this person since last night?” He asked hesitantly, afraid of the possibility that he’d have to break the news to this poor person.

“No. Ralph will never see John again. A mean person knocked very hard on Ralph’s door, and John left to go look. Ralph didn’t see him for a long time, so he went to look,” He paused for a second, as if reliving it in his mind, “John was laying on the ground, and he didn’t move. Ralph thought he might be sleeping, so he brought him back to his car. Then a group of people came and took him away.”

The information was… very, very startling. But rather telling that it was definitely murder they were working on. “Would you mind if I brought my partner in? He won’t hurt you either, it’s just important that he hears this information too. Is it okay if I call him in?” Connor asked.

Ralph looked hesitant, but nodded nonetheless.

“Thank you. He is a little rough around the edges, so try not to be startled. I’ll keep him in line.” He carefully turned, keeping his eye on the man, who just stood still, tapping his thighs in a repetitive pattern.

Connor poked his head out of the building, spotting Hank standing around kicking at the ground. “Lieutenant, can you please join me in here?”

He looked up, eyes narrowing minutely. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, however there is someone you might want to meet. Please act with discretion, he is easily startled.” 

Connor pulled his head back in, looking at the blonde. Nothing about him seemed to indicate that he was a magical being himself, but he could tell there was something magical about him.

Hank walked in and halted in his path, blinking twice. Then he took a breath and continued forward, stopping a ways away.

“Lieutenant, this is Ralph. He inhabits this house,” Connor introduced, then summarized what Ralph told him. The entire time Hank nodded along, his expression growing grimmer and stormier with every word.

“Thank you for your help. I think we have everything we need for now,” he said with a small nod, “Unless, Connor, you have anything else?”

“No, Lieutenant. I think we are done here.” He gave a small smile to Ralph, “Is there anything we can give you in exchange for your help?”

“No. Ralph is thankful to have encountered such kind people, instead of the rude people he normally meets.”

“We’ll be going now. Again, thank you,” Connor said, and the two turned to leave and explain their findings to Reed and Niles. On the other side of the fence, Hank stopped him and quietly said, “His aura was human, but he had a protection spell on him. I casted a spell on the house too, to make it more conspicuous. No one should be bothering him anytime soon.”

Connor glanced at the building they just left, and he understood full well it was there, and he could see it just fine. But everything about it felt nondescript. Easily forgettable.

“You’re growing soft, Lieutenant,” He said as he turned to walk towards the store Niles and his partner were investigating.

Hank watched him go for a second before he mumbled, “Yeah. I think I am.”


End file.
